The High Court has rejected a woman’s application for anonymity in her claim against the NHS for more than £6m damages for psychiatric injury arising out of the stillbirth of her daughter.
The woman, who avoids interaction with strangers and suffers from disabling separation anxiety, argued that identification would attract press interest, expose her intimate medical history and cause difficulty for her family.
Refusing her application, in Zeromska-Smith v United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust [2019] EWHC 552 (QB), Mr Justice Martin Spencer said: ‘The revelation of the matters personal to this claimant and her family are inherent and intrinsic to a claim of this nature.’ He added that anonymity applications should be made and heard in advance of the trial, and be served on the press outlets involved so they have an opportunity to make representations.
Romana Canneti, of 4KBW, said: ‘Spencer J affirmed the paramountcy of open justice. Hearings held in open court are reportable; the public has the right to know who’s suing.’
